The Way We Look at It
by jerbils11
Summary: Third part of the "Look" Trilogy. Just as Derek as Casey are getting ready to go to college, someone surprises them with a visit, and things go downhill from there. Yes, Dasey, of course!
1. Chapter 1: Another Surprise Visitor

**A/N: This is my new story. It is part three to the "Look" Trilogy which consists of "The Way She Looks at Him" and "The Way They Look at Us". Now, without furher ado...**

**They Way We Look at It**

**Third Part of the "Look" Trilogy**

**Chapter One: Another Surprise Visitor **

Casey McDonald set the last shirt inside her suitcase and closed the lid. She then sat down on her bad and looked down at her left hand, and saw the beautiful ring in its place on her ring finger. Her engagement ring, marking her engagement to Derek Venturi. She smiled to herself and hopped back off the bed. As she was walking out of her room, she ran into her fiancé, the person she had just wanted to see.

"Hey there beautiful." Derek said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hi Derek." She smiled, laying her head on his chest.

"Done packing?" he asked, peering into her room, and seeing her closed suitcase and packed boxes.

"Yep. You?"

"Just about, there's just one thing I'm missing."

"And what is that?"

"The picture from graduation."

"I have it packed."

"Well, I want one for my room."

"Then get one of the prints from my Mom." Casey said, smiling to herself at her fiancé's slowness.

"I did. I just need a frame."

"Well, why didn't you just ask in the first place?" Casey sighed and led him into her room.

"I just like to make things more complicated for you."

She laughed and began searching her room for a frame for him. She finally found one, that was blue and didn't look to girly for a college boy's room. "Here you go." She said, handing it over to him.

He grinned and grabbed her outstretched arm by the wrist and brought her to him. He kissed her forehead, "You're the best, babe."

She laughed, "I know. Now, go finish!"

He kissed her again and hurried out of her room and into his own. She smiled after him, and moved all her stuff over to the door, for easy access. They were leaving in the morning for college, Casey was very excited.

She went to join Derek in his room, and saw that he was nowhere near being done. She giggled, and he turned around, trying to hide his empty suitcase.

"You lied!" she said, smiling.

"Yeah, well. I wanted the frame!"

"And you knew I wouldn't give it to you unless I thought you were done packing…"

Derek smiled sheepishly, "Yeah. But, I'll finish soon, then, you and I will go out to lunch! Just me and you, our last date before college! How does that sound?"

Casey smiled as she backed out of the room, "Perfect!"

"Wait! Don't you want to help me?!"

Casey laughed, "No, I don't think I do!" and she hurried away before Derek could say another word.

Derek sighed and grinned to himself as he began throwing clothes randomly into the suitcase. He didn't care if it was neat and tidy; he just wanted them all to fit, and quick. He looked down at the picture and smiled, that was one of the happiest days of his life. The day he finished high school and the day he proposed to Casey and she said yes. He loved the memory behind the picture, and so he loved the picture.

As Derek procrastinated and hurriedly packed, Casey was downstairs, talking with her mom in the kitchen, as the sat at the island.

"So, are you excited about tomorrow?" Nora asked her daughter as they both sipped hot cocoa.

Casey nodded, "Very excited. And I'm also excited about Derek and me spending the trip up there together. It'll be the longest we've been alone together since the whole New York thing."

Nora smiled, and took another sip of her cocoa, "I remember when George and I went away together for the first time. Oh, it was so much fun. It was a great bonding time without all the parenting responsibilities to worry about. And now you two can have the same experience without all the parental care to worry about." The two laughed and Casey looked around as George entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, honey!" Nora smiled as her husband looked like he was still sleeping, just upright and moving.

"Mmmm." George replied, sitting down next to Nora, and pouring himself a cup of cocoa.

Casey heard a loud bang, and a yell from upstairs, and knew Derek had finished his packing and had thrown his suitcase in celebration. She sipped more of her cocoa and waited for Derek to come down and join them, as she knew he would.

Like clockwork, he stomped down the stairs and ran to the island and took the stool next to Casey. He kissed her cheek and smiled as Nora poured him his own cup of cocoa.

"Thanks, Nora." He said, gratefully taking the cup from her.

"So, you finished quickly, I see." Casey observed, amusedly.

"Of course!" Derek said, taking a gulp of his cocoa; only to instantly spit it back into his cup, panting, "Ouch! That was hot!"

Casey laughed, "Of course it was, Derek. It's called _hot_ cocoa for a reason!"

Derek kept his cool, "I know, but it helps me to wake up in the mornings."

"You've been awake for two hours!" Casey laughed harder, but put her hand on Derek's thigh to top him from arguing any further.

As Derek went to protest, the doorbell rang, and Derek chose this time to make his escape, "I'll get it!" and he ran out of the kitchen.

He made his way to the door, knowing Nora, George and Casey were watching him. He opened the door, and had the breath knocked out of him, he saw a face of someone he never wanted to see again.

Louis Getran.

The man that had shot him in New York.


	2. Chapter 2: Defense

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I was busy this week! Hope you like this one! Chapter Three's coming soon!**

**R&R, please!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Two: Defense**

Casey watched intently as Derek just stared at the man standing in the doorway. She had no idea who it was, but she was curious as to why neither one had said a word. She excused herself from the island, and left George and Nora to start up a care-free conversation. She hurried over to stand beside Derek, but he barely noticed her appearance. He was staring horrified at the man in front of him.

"Derek, who is this?" She whispered in his ear, praying that the man didn't hear her.

Derek shook his head and cleared his throat, a determined look appearing on his face. He led Casey outside, where the man backed up, making room for them on the sidewalk in front of the house. Derek shut the front door behind him, and took Casey's hand in his. She could tell he needed support, but she had no idea why.

"Casey, I'd like you to meet the guy who shot me in New York." Derek said, glaring at the man.

Casey gasped, and looked at the man again; he didn't look like a killer. But then again, you couldn't judge a book by its cover. She stood up to her fullest height and let go of Derek's hand. She walked closer to the man, and put on her bravest face.

"Listen here; if you think you're going to lay another hand on my fiancé, you've got another thing coming." She poked his chest with her finger, "I will not let you hurt him again. If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me first!"

The man looked exactly like Ryan did when Casey had pushed him against the lockers that one time when he had been planning to fight Derek. Derek watched, torn between horror and amusement as Casey threatened a man who had shot him. Derek gently pulled her away and took her place right in front of the man.

"Listen, I don't know why you're here, but I would advise you to leave. You had the upper hand last time. You had a weapon, I didn't. Now, there's nothing stopping me from beating you senseless right now. But, because she's here, I'll spare you. But that's only because I don't want her to see that."

Casey interrupted, "Hey! I want to beat him up just as much as you do! He had no right to do what he did to you!"

The man backed away a few feet, and put his hands up in the air, as if to defend himself, "Please, let me explain. I've come all this way. I don't mean any harm, I just want to talk."

Casey looked over at Derek, and then glared back at the man, "No. I don't want to hear anything you have to say. You shot Derek, and there is no way I will ever forgive you for that. Ever!"

The man looked stricken and taken aback. He stuttered trying to explain himself, but she took Derek's hand and dragged him over to the door. She gave the man one last glare, and then threw open the door and she and Derek went back in.

"Case?" he asked as she shut the door, huffing furiously, "Don't you think we should have given him a chance to explain?"

Now it was his turn to get a glare, "Derek, the man's a killer. I didn't feel comfortable being out there with him, let alone talking to him."

"Well, I just think it was really unfair of you to not even give him a chance."

The look on her face made Derek cringe, "Oh, forgive me for not being so forgiving to the man that was almost responsible for your DEATH!" She cried, and stomped up the stairs, mumbling under her breath.

Derek sighed, he hated tension, and he hated when Casey yelled at him. Truth be told, she hadn't yelled at him in a very long time. They had gotten along great ever since their parents accepted them. Derek hadn't made her mad enough to yell at him in months. Well, he couldn't say that anymore. He sighed once more and headed up the stairs, planning to apologize, and say she was right, even though he didn't mean it.

When he went to knock on her door, though, he head slamming and crashing, as if she were throwing things. Realizing that he would be safer waiting, he went into his own room, to wait until she was done with her fit of rage.

He fiddled with the computer as she started to yell as she threw things. There was something going on besides their previous argument. Something was really bothering her. She wouldn't be acting like this just because of one little argument they had. He decided, whether or not his physical safety was in danger, he needed to talk to her.

He got up and hurried into her room. Just as he had suspected, she was throwing shoes and books at the walls. He even saw a broken frame on the floor, but couldn't see the picture inside it, because he was forced to duck as a shoe came flying toward his head.

"Whoa!" he cried and looked closer at her. She was crying and looked so angry and upset all at once, "Case, baby, what's wrong?"

She glared at him again, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" Derek watched cautiously as she grabbed another shoe and held it threateningly, ready to throw it at him, "What's wrong is that you don't care! Ugh!" she cried and threw the shoe full force at his face.

Luckily he ducked, and he resisted the urge to get closer to her. Closer was not better at the moment, "Baby, what do you mean?"

Casey grabbed a thick book and held it high in the air, "Derek, you never listen! Yeah, you nod your head, and agree, but you don't really care! You only agree so I'll shut up! And when you apologize and say I'm right, you never mean it! You just say it so I won't be mad anymore! You don't really even care! And… and…" she took a deep breath, "And I'm fed up with it. And if you don't change… I'm going to…" another deep breath, "I'm going to cancel this engagement!"

Derek's jaw dropped, "All this because I said you should have given the guy a chance to explain himself? You don't really mean that do you?" He tried to sound confident, tried to show her that he didn't believe her, but she looked so mad, that he was afraid she really did.

"Yes, Derek! I am serious. I mean it a hundred percent! If you don't get your act together, I will call off this engagement. For good." She threw the book, but not at him. It hit the wall with extra force and tears leaked from her eyes and fast.

"Casey. I didn't know you felt any of this. Why didn't you tell me? And why, all of a sudden are you so mad at me? I thought things were going well?"

Casey laughed, but it was a hollow, sarcastic laugh, "Of course you did! How could anything be going wrong? You've been such a great boyfriend! Such a great fiancé! Nothing could ever be wrong!"

"Now, that's just taking it a little too far, Casey. Sure, we've had our problems, everyone does. But if you had a problem, you should have come to me a long time before it got to this! I mean, you're planning to cancel the engagement? Just a few minutes ago you were as happy as you could be! Everything was fine! How long have you kept this in?"

"Months, Derek. Months! I'm just so tired of this. The reason I was fine before is because I love you. And I love being around you. But I hate it you're fake sincerity. You act like you care; you act like you're sorry. I'm tired of it. Tired! Derek, either you change, or you can forget this!" And to prove her point, she started sliding her engagement right off her finger.

Derek couldn't believe how quickly her moods had changed. At first Derek thought it was just that time of month. But then he saw her begin to slide the ring off. He ran over to her and took her hands in his and separated them so she could not continue removing the ring.

"What are you doing?!" he cried, fear clear on his face.

"Derek, let me go! Let me go right now!"

"I don't understand. Please, just talk to me. And enough with all of this canceling crap. I want to know why you are so mad at me. And how all this got started by me telling you that you were too rough on the guy."

Casey sighed and shoved Derek off her hands, "Derek. I do not need to explain myself to you."

"Alright." Derek looked away, and tried to control himself, "Alright. You don't need to explain why all of a sudden you don't want to marry me anymore? You don't need to explain why you went from being happy and in love to being pissed and hating me in a total of ten minutes? You don't need to explain why it bugged you so much that I stood up for the man down there? Alright. Then I don't need to explain why I apologize and say you're right when I don't mean it! I don't need to explain why I don't want this engagement canceled! I don't need to explain how much I love you, and how much I want to make you happy!" and with that he stormed out of her room and into his own, but not before she took off her ring and flung it at his head.

As he replayed the moment of the ring he had given her months ago flying toward his head, he wondered how on earth his world had just crumbled down around him.


	3. Chapter 3: Are You Serious?

**Chapter Three: Are You Serious?**

Derek lie on his bed, fuming. He couldn't believe what just happened. Things had taken a turn for the worst. And fast. Seeing the man who had shot him, was pretty bad, he would admit that. He wasn't expecting that. But he wasn't expecting Casey to call off the engagement. Never in a million years would he have expected that.

It broke his heart that she had done it so quickly. But, because she had done it quickly, he knew that she had been thinking about it for some time. But how long? Derek had no clue. He rubbed his temples and debated whether or not he wanted to go talk to her again. He figured any attempt would be fruitless. She already threw her ring at him. She already yelled at him. She already threw a shoe at his head. What more could she do? This time she could actually hurt him.

And she would succeed, because he didn't want to hurt her back. So he would let her hurt him. It would not work out well. For either of them. He sat up and looked at his packed suitcase and boxes. He would be leaving for college the next morning with Casey. Whether or not she was still mad at him. They had this planned for months. They couldn't change it now. They couldn't. Though, seeming how Casey was acting, Derek wouldn't doubt that she would try.

He stood up and knocked his suitcase over with a strong kick. He instantly regretted it, seeming how the sharp pain was quickly growing in all five of his toes. He grimaced and groaned, hurrying out of his room. He needed to talk to someone. The first person that entered his mind was Casey, but seeming how she was what he needed to talk about… that might not work.

Edwin. He would go talk to Edwin. No, that probably wouldn't work too well. Edwin still wasn't great with girls, and so he wouldn't be much help.

Lizzie. She would be perfect. She would be able to tell him why Casey was feeling what she was feeling, and then how to fix it. He needed to go find her. He hurried into her room and closed the door behind him.

"Liz I need to talk to you." He said, urgently, and impatiently.

Lizzie looked up from her desk, and pointed to her bed, sighing, it was last year all over again. Derek needed help with Casey, although this time, he was getting married to her, not trying to show her the nature of his cousin.

"What's up, Derek?"

"Casey… she called off the engagement."

"What?! Just out of the blue like this? Yesterday she was so excited!"

"I know! That's why it was such a surprise when she did it!"

Lizzie took a deep breath, "So, I'm guessing you want to know why she broke it off, huh?"

"No. I know why she broke it off, she told me, I just don't know why she feels the way she does." To answer Lizzie's puzzled look, "She says I don't care. She says that when I say she's right I don't mean it. And that I listen but don't really care. It's all such a blur. I don't even know where it all came from! I thought everything was going so well, I had no idea she felt any of this!"

Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows, "I'll talk to her for you, how about that?"

"Be careful, she's really mad. She was throwing things earlier."

Lizzie couldn't help but giggle, "So that's what all the noise was about."

He nodded, and smiled, "Thanks, Liz."

"No problem, Derek. I mean, that's what I'm here for."

He smiled again and hurried out. Now that Lizzie was talking to Casey, he needed to move on to the next big dilemma. The man that shot him. What was he doing here? He knew where he lived? How did that happen? All Derek knew was that he was not safe in this house. He barely remembered the events of that day in the convenience store, but he couldn't forget the face of his shooter.

Louis Getran. The name came back to him instantly. But, knowing the name didn't make him any safer from him. But he didn't look like he had come to finish what he had started back in New York. So what had he been doing here? And why had he disrupted Derek's perfect life. He needed to know the answers to all these questions, but he had no idea how to find Louis, let alone ask him everything that was running through his mind.

He decided just to focus on getting Casey to love him again, and then he would deal with Louis Getran…

Before Louis Getran could deal with him.

--

Lizzie was sitting next to her sister on her bed, patting her back as she cried into her shoulder. Casey had been mad when Lizzie had first entered the room, but when Lizzie asked what was wrong; she broke down, and started crying. So far, Lizzie had heard nothing about Derek and why she decided she didn't want to marry him anymore.

After a few minutes, Casey stopped crying and sat up, wiping her eyes. She looked over at Lizzie, and smiled sadly, "Thanks, Liz."

Lizzie nodded, "But, Casey, you never told me what was wrong…"

Casey stood up, and took a deep breath, "Liz, it's Derek. I just don't know anymore. What did I ever see in him? He seems so great on the outside, but on the inside he's still that jerk I knew three years ago! He doesn't even care anymore!"

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. The man that shot him in New York shows up on a doorstep this morning, and I just got so scared, and worried, and I don't know what got in me. I wasn't going to let that man hurt Derek again. But then, Derek said I should have given the guy a chance to explain himself! And he's the one who got shot! I was just trying to protect him! And, I don't know why, but that just infuriated me, and it brought back all the things that have been infuriating me since he asked me to marry him. I've just kept it all inside, and I haven't said anything to anyone, but now, I can't keep it in anymore, and I… I don't know him anymore."

Lizzie stood up, "Casey that's silly. Derek loves you. And I'm sure that if you talked to him… talked and didn't yell that he would make the changes you want him to make. And maybe, just maybe there's something you could change to."

Casey whipped he head around to look at her younger sister, "Why do I have to change?! He's the jerk!"

"Why? For being the better person? For saying what he thought would be the best thing to do? Casey, you're my sister, and I love you, but I think you are blowing this way out of proportion. To spring this on him with no warning, it's very unfair." She stood up and walked over to the door, "That's all I can say, but I think you are overreacting, and you need to talk to Derek. You owe him that." And with that, Lizzie left the room, and Casey plopped down onto her bed, even more upset than she was before her sister came in.

--

Derek met Lizzie back in her room a few minutes after she left Casey. He looked upset, nervous, and anxious all at once. Lizzie looked up at him, biting her lip. Derek's face fell even more and his eyes asked his unspoken question.

"Sorry, Derek. I don't know what else to do. She's convinced that you're 'still the same jerk as three years ago'. I tried to tell her she's overreacting, but she wouldn't listen to me. There's nothing more I can do." She really did look sorry, but when she looked into Derek's face, she felt more than sorry, she was mad at her sister for doing this to the one guy who loves her more than anything in the world.

She grabbed Derek's hand and dragged him into Casey's room, slamming the door behind them. She let go of Derek and pulled her sister up off her bed.

"Casey McDonald! You are going to talk to your fiancé, and you two are going to solve your differences. You're not coming out of here until I know you guys are done with this fighting." She then spun on her heel and out of the room, closing it behind her. Then she sat down right in front of it, folding her arms, barricading their exit.

Derek looked at Casey with pleading eyes, but Casey avoided his gaze and looked all around the room, everywhere but him. He sighed, "Casey, please. I don't exactly know what I did, but if you let me know, I promise I will never do it again!"

Casey scoffed, "Meaningless words, Derek. That's what all your apologies are. Just meaningless words. I wish I could believe you."

"Casey!" Derek roared, "I'm tired of this! You are pulling this out of no where! I think you just don't want to get married to me anymore! You don't really have a reason! So, you know what, I don't want to get married to you either!"

Casey's jaw dropped and she stared, wide-eyed at him, "You don't mean that!"

Derek looked over by the door and saw the ring she had thrown at him earlier. He knelt down, picked it up and showed it to her, "I'm not the one who threw this! You decided this first, now I'm just saying I agree. If this is how you really feel, I don't want to get married to you, any more than you want to get married to me."

Casey looked surprised, "But, I thought you wanted to change…"

Derek glared at her, "That's what this was all about?! God, woman, you really are sneaky! I'm glad we ended this now, before we got in to far."

And with that, he whipped around, slung open the door, and stepped over Lizzie before she could react. He hurried into his room and slammed his door. Lizzie stood up and stared at Casey, questioningly.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"Derek broke it off…"

"I thought you were the one who did that?"

"Well, I did, but only to see if he would change for me. But then he decided to call it off as well."

"I hate to say it, Casey, but you deserved it. You shouldn't have tricked him to try and make him change. It wasn't right. And now you both are miserable."

"Ugh!! Lizzie! What can I do?!"

Lizzie shrugged, "Casey, I can't help you anymore. This is gone way past my help. You need counseling or something…" and Lizzie left, causing Casey to collapse to the floor realizing the truth of what just happened.


	4. Chapter 4: Awkward

**A/N: Big props go out to daseyrocks for giving me this brilliant idea! She rocks, and I am really grateful for her kind words. I am also thankful to bahjcb, Leaf26, Kenzie123456, napd567, and Jordy1996, for all their kind words to help me find my faith in this story again! Thanks so much everyone! **

**Let me know what you think of this please!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Four: Awkward **

Casey sat in the passenger seat of Derek's car, arms folded, eyes narrowed, and legs crossed. She hadn't spoken since they had left the house over an hour ago. Derek was holding onto the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles had bypassed white, and if they were to get any lighter, you would be able to see right through them. He cast several glances over at Casey during their silent hour of driving, but he, like her, had decided it would be best if they didn't talk. The radio wasn't on, because they could never agree on a station, and neither wanted to have a petty fight about the radio while they were so mad at each other.

Derek cleared his throat, and Casey's head whipped around to face him. He gave her a curious look out of the corner of his eye, but he rolled his shoulders and continued to watch the road. She sighed and went back to looking out her window. It was one of the most awkward rides of both their lives. Casey had cooled down, at least, and was now just really annoyed, no longer mad. She tried to remember what had made her so mad in the first place. She knew that after Derek had stood up for that man against her, she had been upset. But when she had closed herself in her room, she began to think of all the things she hated about Derek, and everything just piled up, and she began to realize that she had overlooked all those things because she thought she loved him.

Oh, how wrong she was! She couldn't stand him anymore. He had cancelled the wedding, just because she had tried to cancel it first! What an arrogant pig. A thought did cross her mind, as she thought about what he had said after he had found out she had tricked him.

"God, woman, you really are sneaky! I'm glad we ended this now, before we got in to far."

It had broken her heart to hear him say that, and she hated to admit, but she knew he was right. It hadn't been right of her to trick him into changing. She just didn't want him if he was going to continue to be the immature boy she had known for three years. She huffed, and Derek looked at her out of the corner of his eyes again. She crossed her arms tighter against her chest and looked off into the distance.

The more she thought about it, the more she decided she was right. Marrying Derek was obviously a big mistake, and she was glad she had ended it before she actually did it, and then had to go through a divorce after she realized what she had done. Breaking off the engagement, even though she hadn't meant it at the time, was one of the best ideas she had had in a long time. But, sitting in the car with him, being closer to him than she had in twenty-four hours, she remembered how much she had actually been attracted to him. She bit her lip and scolded herself for thinking anything positive about Derek. If she thought even one little thought that showed Derek in a positive light, she would rethink the entire thing, and probably end up wanting to be with him again. If he would just apologize for acting like a jerk yesterday, than she wouldn't have to monitor her thoughts.

Derek, on the other hand, was not mad at all. He was depressed. He couldn't believe how his life had ended up. He had thought it had been bad when he was shot. He would choose to be shot several more times than have the events of the day before actually have happened. If they hadn't, he and Casey would be enjoying their time together, laughing and listening to music, not caring if one liked the song and the other didn't. They had been that happy together.

What Derek still didn't get though was why she had tricked him. She usually talked things out. Normally, if she had a problem with him, she would come to him and make him talk with her for over an hour, and then they would both come up with a way to fix the problem. She hadn't even given him the chance to understand what the problem was. All she said was she wanted him to change. But she never gave him a specific thing to change. He would have done it in an instant if he had known it was what was going to keep them together.

But now he was wondering if he wanted to still love her. Because he did, oh boy, he did! But she had tricked him, just to get what she wanted. What did that say about her, and how she would act when they were actually married? He shook his head; there was no chance now, anyway. She hated him for not changing, and then officially stopping the engagement. He was almost mad at himself for not just giving in to whatever it was she had wanted him to do, at least then she would have been ticked off for a little bit, and then she never would have cancelled their marriage.

But he hadn't, and she did. And now, Derek was stuck, driving with her to college, not being able to call her his fiancé or even girlfriend anymore. A part of him wanted to apologize, but another part of him told him he didn't have to. She was the one that had messed everything up. But he hated this silence; it was going to drive him into insanity. So, he cleared his throat, and, once more, her head whipped toward him.

"So, Casey, are you hungry?" he asked, his voice sounding a lot higher than normal.

She looked disappointed, and turned away from him, "No. I ate before we left."

"Well, I'm hungry. Do you mind if I stop by somewhere and grab a bite?" he was choosing his words carefully, trying not to say anything that would upset her.

She rolled her eyes, "Why do you care if I mind? You're going to do it anyway."

"Not if you don't want me to."

"Now you're just being a suck-up."

He didn't reply, and just as his favorite drive-thru restaurant came into view, he sped up, and switched lanes twice, flying past it, and ignoring the rumble in his stomach.

She watched as the restaurant left her sight, and wondered what had just happened.

--

Derek led the way into the administrative office at the front of the college. Casey was lagging behind, nervous about starting life as a college girl. They entered the room, and were instantly greeted by a friendly-looking woman.

"Oh, hello, how are you two doing today?" she said, sounding as if she had been a cheerleader some years ago.

"We're doing alright. We're here for our room assignments; we were mailed a letter that said there was an issue and that we would be informed of it when we got here today." Derek explained, growing annoyed with Casey standing behind him, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Oh, you must be Mr. Venturi and Miss McDonald. When we heard that you two were step-brother and sister, we knew that we could use this to our advantage."

"Excuse me?" Derek didn't care if he sounded rude; he was worried about what they were going to do.

"Well, you see, we have a shortage on the rooms, and we figured, that since you two have lived together for a good amount of time, and since you are family, there would be no fooling around, that you and your step-sister could share a room. Just until we fix the room shortage." Now she looked worried; she had obviously expected a better reaction toward this news.

Casey stormed up to the desk, "You mean, that for who knows how long, I have to share a room, with _this_?!"

The woman nodded, slowly, "We're terribly sorry, but we've already set it up, and we didn't think it would be a problem. But don't worry; it's not a permanent arrangement. We will get you both out of the room as soon as possible."

Casey rolled her eyes as Derek accepted the keys and a map of the school from the woman. She apologized again as the two made their way out of the building. They grabbed their bags and made their way to their new room.

"Great, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse!" Casey complained, as they squeezed into an elevator with all their stuff.

Derek said nothing; he secretly enjoyed the fact that they would be sharing a room. Now, he might be able to figure out what bothered her so much about him, and then change it, so she would love him again. He sighed as she hurried out of the now open elevator door, trying to get away from him as fast as she could. He held back a laugh as she huffed and realized he had the keys.

He slowly made his way over to her, carrying the few things she had left behind in the elevator in her hurry. She snatched them away from him, ungratefully, and waited impatiently for him to open the door. He fumbled with the keys, but managed to somehow open the door without emptying his arms.

"Welcome to my nightmare." She mumbled as she followed him into the room they would be sharing.


	5. Chapter 5: Second Chances

**A/N: Yeah, so it's not very long, but I thought that was a good place to end with, and I'm sorry it took so long to update, I'm not even going to begin to bore you with my stressful, busy life. :D **

**R&R, please!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Five: Second Chances**

The alarm clock sounded in his ears, but Derek had no desire to wake up. It had been two weeks since college started, but he was still not pleased with the early rising. He groaned and tried to grope for the alarm clock, to press snooze. When he couldn't find it with his hand, he groaned again and sat up, looking for the darn thing. It wasn't on his night-table. He looked around, and saw it on the top of Casey's dresser. He let out a loud aggravated sigh. Stupid girl. He got up and hurried over to the dresser, turning the alarm off, and tossing the clock back onto his bed. He was up now.

He glared over at Casey's neatly made bed; she had woken up long before he did everyday for the past two weeks, and so he was used to not seeing her in the mornings. He was actually used to not seeing her at all. She seemed to be avoiding their room at all cost. He was always already in bed when she entered the room. He sighed and changed out of his pajama pants and into a t-shirt and jeans. He grabbed his messenger bag full of school books and headed out to his first class.

He planned on 'accidentally' bumping into Casey today, and see what bugged her so much about him. He knew she wouldn't take to it well but he knew that he had to try. He wanted Casey back, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure he did. He knew he schedule because he had sneaked a peek at it last night when she hadn't come back to the room until late. So he knew when she would be at a certain place so he could find her.

He decided to put his plan into action after his first class. He had already been late twice, and he figured that he should at least be on time today. He smiled to himself; he never thought there would be a day where Derek Venturi chose to be on time instead of late.

His first class was almost torture. It was a miracle that he stayed awake through it all. What kept him going was his plan to see Casey.

As soon as class was over, he hurried out of the class and into another building. He knew Casey would be here, he just had to find the right location in the building that she would be at. He smiled as he saw her wavy brown hair in the distance and he hurried over to her.

"Hey roomie." He didn't say it smugly, he didn't sound like a jerk; he was being friendly, truly friendly.

She rolled her eyes and looked up at him, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I haven't seen you in the room in a long time; I wanted to see how you were enjoying college life."

"It's fine. I've got to go."

"But your next class doesn't start for another twenty minutes. I thought maybe we could take a walk or something."

"What makes you think I would want to take a walk with you?"

"Just hear what I have to say, please?"

Casey sighed, "Fine, Derek."

He led the way outside the building and into the courtyard. His hand instinctively went toward hers, but he immediately stuffed it back into his pocket. As if sensing what just happened, she stepped a few inches away from him as they continued to walk.

"What do you want Derek?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"I just wanted to talk with you. We've been staying in the same room for two weeks, but– I just missed you."

She scoffed, "Well, I'm sorry you missed me, but I don't spend time with ex-fiancés."

Derek sighed, "You know, I would still be your fiancé if you hadn't cancelled the engagement."

Casey narrowed her eyes, but didn't look at him, "And I wouldn't have cancelled the engagement if you would have just changed."

Derek put a hand on her shoulder and turned her so she was facing him. She tried to move, but he placed his other hand on the other shoulder. He wasn't rough, just strong. He wanted to look her in the eye, but she was staring at her feet, intentionally not looking at him.

"Casey." She was still focused on her feet, "Casey!"

She looked up at him, her blue eyes watery, "What?"

He was surprised at how strong her voice was, when it looked like she was about to cry, "Casey, I would do anything for you. I thought you knew that. Please, tell me what I did that hurt you so much, and I'll change it. Please. Give me another chance."

She blinked a few times, and when she finally looked back into her eyes, they were full of anger, "I already told you why I was mad. If you don't know anymore, than why should I even give you a second chance?!" And she took that brief moment where he was so stunned his grip faltered to hurry away to her next class.

He turned after her though, after his initial shock went away and called after her, "Everyone deserves a second chance!"

She didn't turn around, but he knew she heard him. He groaned and ran his hands through his hair looking up at the sky. This was going to be harder than he thought.

--

Casey hurried into her dorm room, knowing she only had a few minutes before Derek would be in there as well. She couldn't believe how he had just randomly come up to her like that earlier today. He had no right, but she had to admit, feeling his hands on her shoulders had—

No, she was not going to go running back to him just because his touch was comforting. She went over to her dresser, planning on pulling out a jacket; she did not expect to see a note there. She opened it up, and sat down on her bed. She instantly recognized the hand-writing, but she still continued to read it.

_Dear Casey, _

_Yes, I used the word 'dear' because, well, I still love you. And I know you're still all kinds of mad at me. But I wanted to clear the air between us. Ever since that whole thing with Drew happened, I never wanted to hurt you again. So I said what I thought you wanted me to say. I never thought that down the road that would be turned against me. I know that you don't want me to always agree with you, you want me to be honest. And I swear, I will always try my hardest to be honest with you from here on out, whether or not you decide to give me a second chance. And I also wanted to tell you that I never apologized because I thought I had to. I __always__ meant every apology I gave you. I thought you knew how much I loved you, but I guess I'm going to have to prove it. And I will. _

_Love,_

_Derek_

Casey didn't know what to do. Her heart had stopped for a moment, and her breath had caught. But seconds later, she began to breathe again, and her heart was functioning properly. She couldn't believe the lengths this man was doing to get her back. It reminded her of the qualities she always looked for in guys back in high school. She wanted a prince charming willing to do anything for her. And here he was, Derek was trying everything he could to get her back.

She shook her head; this was madness. One minute she hated his guts, the next she was gushing because of a mushy letter. She wasn't even sure she could believe half of the things he wrote. But had never really given a reason to doubt his love for her; she just doubted his honesty. She sighed and sat the note down on her bed. She stood up and grabbed the jacket out of her dresser. She slipped in on and grabbed her bag, preparing to go down to the library to study, like she had planned to before she had found Derek's apology note.

She opened the front door, and was shocked to be face to face with Derek. She looked embarrassed for a moment, but then moved to let him in, as she left the room. She had a slight smile on her face as she walked down the hallway. If Derek was true to his word, she would probably be seeing a lot more of him. And she wasn't sure whether she was glad about this or not.

--

Derek smiled. She had read the letter. He sat down on his bed and stared at the little piece of paper that might just help him regain his girlfriend. He just had to try his best to keep all his promises, always be honest, and to mean every apology he said. Oh, and he had to listen, and _really_ listen, not just nod his head and agree.

Man, since when was Derek Venturi whipped?


	6. Author's Note

**A/N: I'm sorry guys, but I've had a lot going on in my life and I couldn't get on and finish any of my stories. But, due to lack of inspiration and just plain lack of interest in this story, I'm cancelling it. I don't have any clue where I intended to go with it, and I'm just not sure how to continue. I'm so sorry. **

**I thank all of you who were dedicated readers to the past two, and to this one, and I'm sorry I can't finish. I think how I ended 'How They Look at Us' is a good ending to the story I had Derek and Casey on. I don't think 'How We Look at It' was ever going to turn out as good as the other two. **

**I'm sorry! **

**-Jaclyn :) **


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